Alabama

Discovery Series – Auburn University

Posted on July 14, 2025

Discovery Series – Auburn University is an interesting release, as it represents another addition to the Campus Collection for a university that didn’t receive a mug in the previous series (Been There).

Auburn University, located in Auburn, Alabama, was founded in 1856 as the East Alabama Male College under the Methodist Church. It became the first land-grant college in the South under the Morrill Act in 1872 and was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. In 1899, it adopted the name Alabama Polytechnic Institute, reflecting its expanded curriculum, and finally became Auburn University in 1960 to better represent its growing academic scope.… Read more

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Been There – Alabama 2

Posted on April 4, 2023

Starbucks Been There Alabama v2 is an updated version of the mug that was released five years ago. I am not surprised that designers removed “the cotton state” nickname from the mug, as it was raising the question of what it has to do with Alabama. Other rather obvious changes include:
– the appearance of a friendly-looking bear and a giant butterfly
– the planes are gone. As a reminder, these were related to the Tuskegee Airmen, which were the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces.… Read more

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Been There Ornament – Alabama

Posted on September 26, 2018

Starbucks Been There Ornament Alabama has green string and these design elements:
– The cotton state – in fact, Alabama ranks between eighth and tenth in national cotton production
– The yellow-shafted flicker a.k.a “yellowhammer”, state bird.
– Military plane – probably related to Maxwell Air Force Base. This base is the headquarters of Air University (AU), a major component of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), and is the U.S. Air Force’s center for Joint Professional Military Education (PME).
– Noccalula Falls – a 90-foot waterfall located in Gadsden
Update from 3/25/2023: a new version of the ornament was spotted online, see the comparison photo below.… Read more

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